About Outflow
Outflow is a free set of interactive tools for money-related decisions that compound over a lifetime. I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to look at my work. I will never run ads or charge a subscription for access to the site.
I'm a young professional currently working a salaried position at a company. You could describe me as finance-obsessed; talk to me about anything related to the field and I'd love to learn and discuss.
This site is dedicated solely to personal finance: budgeting, financial planning, making the most of your money while still being able to spend on "non-necessities".
Backstory
My journey with how I see money starts in an Aldi's in 2008, arms wrapped around the stroller that my sister was napping in, asking my mom why we were taking so long at the cash register. Only years later did my mom tell me that her bank card had declined, but that the cashier was kind enough to comp the difference for her.
I won't pretend like my family grew up in poverty, Hollywood sob-story style. We had a uniquely un-unique problem: being lower-middle class. My father made $30,000 a year, while my mom took care of my sister and me. We were able to afford the necessities, but never once could we afford risk tolerance.
Risk Tolerance?
Risk is simply something that someone under a certain income level cannot afford to think about. A $30,000 salary supporting a family of four would just barely cover the essentials. You simply can't afford to have 6 months of savings in a HYSA. You choose the cheapest health insurance options, and a life insurance policy wouldn't even be up for discussion.
I want those who have the privilege to afford risk to read my publications. Taking your finances seriously, when given the privilege to do so, is the definition of "owing it to yourself". You have a golden-ticket opportunity to set yourself up for a worry-less future, so please don't toss it.
I'd rather give tools than advice
Most money-related information that you see comes from someone who has a stake in your decision: a car salesman saying that this is the perfect vehicle for you, an online mortgage calculator from a bank, and so on. They all have vested interests in you listening to their advice. In fact, you could say that I do, too: I hold a California real estate license, so I understand how these kinds of incentives work. Commission structure inherently rewards even the most honest agent for closing over consulting. Nothing on Outflow pays me based on your decision.
Look at the landscape as of 2026: "AI is coming for your job. Robots will replace you. Homeownership is a myth now. Everything costs so much. Buy this. Subscribe to that, or you'll fall behind." This is all, by design, made to make you feel hopeless enough to stop planning and spend now. Don't get me wrong; I want nice things just as much as you do, but before you make a big financial decision, I want you to be fully aware of the trade-offs of doing so.
So I won't provide financial advice. I would hate to be just another faceless entity pushing you to mindlessly act now, even if it's towards a traditionally recognized "asset" (like a house or stocks). I'd rather provide you tools that show the mechanics under a decision (where your money is truly going, what parameters may change your decision, and what a comparable tool tends to leave out). You can then, with the utmost clarity, come to your own decision.
If you want to learn and think about money like this, then bookmark this site. I hope that you find something here useful. I'll be content even if it only helps one person.
-Nathan